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"I just hope it doesn't become a flash in the pan like motion controls were" creator Corey King says

Corey King spent four years developing an augmented reality game similar to Pokemon Go. (CBC News)

As the Pokemon Go craze continues to explode around the world, one Winnipeg game developer hopes to capitalize on its momentum.

Corey King launched his first-ever augmented reality (AR) game, Clandestine Anomaly, almost a year to the day before Pokemon Go.

Instead of capturing Pokemon characters on your smartphone, the science-fiction game places players at the centre of saving their city from aliens.

"I am a film student with a philosophy minor, but my wife and I decided to do what we love, we're artists and we would pursue this." King said. "Over the course of four years we developed it, all of the trials and tribulations."

Corey King launched his first-ever augmented reality (AR) game, Clandestine Anomaly, almost a year to the day before Pokemon Go. 1:58The game differs from Pokemon Go in that it's played in a 2-square kilometre area, to keep users from wandering into unknown or unsafe areas, King said. Once downloaded, the game can also be played without WiFi or data.

Roughly 25,000 players have downloaded King's game, but he said Pokemon Go is giving the concept of augmented reality games a huge boost.

"I just hope it doesn't become a flash in the pan like motion controls were," King said. "I have always had confidence AR was going to break through and Pokemon Go shows us the potential is extremely high."

Clandestine Anomaly is already considered one of the top AR games to try when players tire of Pokemon.